Singapore police have arrested two more Malaysians over their suspected roles in a government official impersonation scam, bringing the total for similar cases this month to eight.
The two men, aged 30 and 20, will be charged on 22 March and 23 March, respectively.
Police said the case surfaced on 20 March after a 62-year-old woman reported receiving calls from people claiming to be from M1 and the Monetary Authority of Singapore over an overdue S$350 bill that could not be deducted from her bank account.
The conversation later moved to WhatsApp, where she was told purchases had been made using her accounts.
After she said she did not recognise the transactions, she was referred to a man posing as an MAS investigation officer.
He allegedly told her she was linked to a money laundering case and told her to declare her valuables.
After learning she had 8.6kg of gold, he instructed her to hand it over for inspection to prove her innocence.
The woman was then told to place the gold in a bag and head to the vicinity of the MAS building, where a man approached her car, said a codeword and took the bag.
She later checked with a security guard, who told her the man was not affiliated with MAS, before calling the police.
Two Arrested in Follow-Up Operation
Police later identified the two suspects, who were detained in Singapore on 21 March.
The 30-year-old was held while trying to leave the country, while the 20-year-old was arrested near Woodlands.
Preliminary investigations found the pair had allegedly been directed by people believed to be part of a transnational scam syndicate to collect valuables from victims and pass them to others.
They will be charged under Section 51 of the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act 1992 for assisting another to retain benefits from criminal conduct.
The offence carries up to 10 years’ jail, a fine of up to S$500,000, or both.
Police said they continue to observe an increasing trend of Malaysian nationals travelling to Singapore to help scam syndicates collect valuables from victims.
The arrests follow a similar case announced on 19 March that brought the total then to six Malaysians arrested and charged in similar government official impersonation scam cases within two weeks.
Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by tehcheesiong via Freepik
